The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1887-03-05
For the Republican.
Florida Letter.

/
few of US who have the pleasure of
seeing and reading the REPUBLICAN.
were not little amused with the fact
that the young man who came down
here to eat fifteen Oranges-taken
from our trees without "by vonr
leaye"-between breakfast and dim
ner, and after staying a few weeks
started home with two or three table
spoonsfull of washed sand from the
river beach to show as specimen of
our soil, should assume to give il as
his opinion that Garrett county has
decided advantages over the best Dor
tions of Florida. Having seen iust
about as much as would suffice for a
respectable potatoe- patch among your
farmers, it seemed really quite rash
in him to set himself up as Judge Of
the largest state east of the Missis-
sippi! But we really don't feel par
ticularly bad over it. And by the
way, this just opens door in con.
venient place. Within one and half
miles of where those fifteen oranges
once hung in all their ripe and COL
| den beauty, one of my neighbors
raised one hundred bushels of corn
(shelled) from an acre, by means Of a
shOvelful of stable-manure 1Ou~1
hill. l myself took full one hundred
bushels of sweet-potatoes from an
acre of raw mixed pine and hon.
mock land last season, and not an
ounce of fertilizer. In half dozen
different counties of the State [ have
walked over soil as dark as Kansas
prairie, and we'll nigh as rich or fer
tile. Forty to fifty bushels of corn
are grown per acre on those lands
unfertllized, and on the Disston Re-
claim they turn the rich soil with four
horses, and grow eighty bushels the
first year without speck of manure.
Within one mile of where l sit writ
ing this letter, more than five hun.
dred bushels of potatoes were taken
fram one acre of ground that had
been "cow-penned" for a few months.
Of course we have sand, but it is not
such as the plasterer would seek out.
to do good job of Work-Dot sharp
and utterly devoid of agricultural
worth, as the enyelope.sampl might
lead one to conclude. Grasses, weeds
and timber grow into even stricking
development right out of this very
sand, pretty much all over the State.
Fertilizers are very extensively used
two extensively for the good of
either the soil or its owners-and the
time is not far distant when a great
change will manifest itself in this
matter. A free use of our limitless
quantities of muck, and more stock
will afford US fertilizers vastly better
all around, than the commercial
varieties now in common use. Yet,
have known many Pennsylvania
and Maryland farmers to buy about
the same article by the ton-by the
hundred dollars worth. "Whar's de
Offence ?" When ton or two of
this plant-food makes the user to re-
alize from $500 to $500 per acre out of
small fruits or vegetables, need it
tickle a Marylander, or any other
Lander ?" This has been done, and
better. This season $3.50 has been
taken per quart for Strawberries out
of our neighborhoOd, in n. Y. City.
Bellmore City and st. Andrews Bay
sWindlers, try to make capital out of
q misrepresentation of Florida as an
Ell Dorado--a Bonanza-a Paradise.
No honest citizen talks that way.
We say we have II good State as a
comfortable home: if any one can
contriye to get rich in our borders, in
any Legitimate way. why, he is well
come to his good fortune. l know
of such as have made from thous-
and to million, within decade or
two.
The past winter lit is "don gon and
lief us'') has been again more severe
than the rule. But little or no dam
age was done to our standard indus
ties, and for some four weeks now,
we have had genuine summer wealth.
er. have corn six inches high, Irish
potatoes almost at the blooming
point: ripe strawberries, melons,
&C., planted and CROWN
AS to healthfulness, we certainly
enjoy very decided advantage oyer
your section, at least at this tinssps
Our children are going to school bare
foot, and l myself have repeatedly
taken an evening bath in our noble
st. Johns. White orange bloom con-
trasts beautifully with yellow globes
still left unharvested.
The pleasure-seeking public has in
large part given US the cold shoulder